Inspiration

I love cookbooks.  In fact, my husband says I'm probably one of the few people who reads cookbooks like novels - cover to cover.  I disagree.  I think there are a lot of us who read cookbooks this way.   I just love looking through the pages, reading the recipes, and admiring the pictures.  I might not cook every item in the cookbook, and I might change the original recipe if I do, but, I still love reading them.

Over the past two years, as I have discovered more and more blogs, I have used them for cooking inspiration.  I read cooking and healthy living blogs like I read cookbooks.  I love to find new recipes or food ideas in the pages of blogs.  It makes cooking come alive for me.  Blogs haven't replaced cookbooks for me, but they have definitely added a new dimension to reading about baking/cooking.

When I need new recipes, I select cookbooks from my collection and pour through the pages, using post it notes to mark the recipes I want to make.  I do the same with the blogs I read regularly, but I keep an ongoing a list of the recipes I want to make in a notebook that sits beside my computer.  The pages are quickly filling up with a list of things I can't wait to make.

This past week, I have been baking and cooking a lot in preparation for an upcoming family trip.  For me, trip preparation includes food prep.  I can't embark upon a vacation without bags of food and snacks.  Some is pre-made, but most of it is snacks that I have lovingly prepared in the days leading up to the trip.  This week, most of the recipes I used came from the blogs I have been reading.

First, I made Mama Pea's Blueberry muffins.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the ingredients to make them blueberry "cheese" cake muffins, so mine were just standard blueberry muffins.  They came out perfect.

Next, I made Casa de Carver's granola bars.  These are delicious, and I know my kids will enjoy them during our trip (as long as I don't eat the entire pan tonight).

Finally, I made the zucchini bread from Oh She Glows.  I did not include the nuts or raisins because my daughter doesn't like nuts and raisins in zucchini bread. I don't have a picture of this because it is still baking in the oven, but I assume it will be wonderful.  The batter smelled delicious.

I love blogs as much as I love cookbooks.  They are a great source of information and inspiration.  Just this week, I found recipes that used the ingredients I had on hand to make snacks that will travel well and feed my family over a few days.  I know cookbooks would have done the same, but there's just something about blogs...

Smooth Moves

We are a smoothie lovin' family.  Ben (the 2 year-old) is obsessed with them, which is great because he doesn't eat a lot of food during the day.  He's more of a grazer (we all are, actually).  Almost every morning, Paul or I prepare a big batch of smoothies for breakfast.  Amelia (the 6 year-old) used to love smoothies, but now she prefers them frozen.  So, we always make sure we make enough to freeze into popsicles.  It's a healthy treat, and the kids love being able to eat popsicles for breakfast.  Our smoothie ingredients vary depending on what we have on hand, but typically include fresh/frozen fruit.  Most of our smoothies are also made with spinach or kale (green monsters) and either kefir or yogurt.  Even though we're pretty flexible with our add-ins, we have three smoothies that tend to be our favorites.

The Very Berry Smoothie

This is Paul's favorite smoothie and the one we tend to drink the most.  We make sure we always have frozen blueberries, strawberries and cherries on hand so that we can make this on a regular basis.  We make a huge batch of smoothies in the morning, which three of us drink right away.  The rest is frozen into popsicles.  If you want to make this for one or two people, just reduce the amount you put into the blender. 

2 cups strawberry kefir (you can also use plain kefir or yogurt)
1 large banana
2 - 3 cups of baby spinach or kale
1 - 1.5 cups of frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen cherries
ice (as needed to bring smoothie to desired icy, thick texture)

You may need to blend the non-frozen items first, then add the frozen fruit/ice and blend. We have a high power blender, so ours can handle all of the ingredients at once, but other blenders might have a hard time.

The Tropical Breeze Smoothie

This smoothie is my favorite, and Ben's as well, but I can't make it very often.  Paul is allergic to pineapple, so I have to make this smoothie when it is just for me and Ben (and the popsicle molds).

1.5 cups water

1 banana

1 small orange
2 cups spinach or kale
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup frozen mango
ice as needed

This smoothie is mostly fruit and spinach, so I often add hemp seeds or hemp protein powder to bulk it up a little.  This makes a great snack smoothie.  The best part is that it is a beautiful, vibrant green!

Funky Monkey Smoothie

(no picture available)

Ben and I are the only two who like this smoothie so I only make it for us.  I really enjoy this one as a post-run smoothie.

1 cup almond milk
1 banana
1/4 cup PB2 (peanut flour) - you can use regular peanut butter in place of the peanut flour
1 - 2 scoops of Amazing Grass Chocolate powder (this stuff is amazing!)
1/8 cup cocoa powder
drizzle of agave for sweetness (not necessary)
ice

Blend all of the ingredients together until thick and icy.  I'm telling you...this smoothie is delicious!



So, those are some of the "regulars" in our house.  We're always trying new combinations, and sometimes we have great success and other times we have major flops.  But, it's always fun to throw things together and see what we end up with. 

We really look forward to our smoothies, but it took a while for them to become part of our routine.  We never seemed to have the right ingredients on hand or the time to put everything together before we had to rush to work, but with a little planning and prep work, we were able to make them part of our day.  Here are some tips to help make sure you can have a smoothie whenever the mood strikes:

• Stock your freezer with plenty of frozen fruit.  Keep a variety on hand so that you can try different combos.  Our favorites are strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, mangoes, peaches, and pineapple
• Buy yogurt or kefir to have on hand as mix-ins
• Keep a container of baby spinach or a bunch of kale in the fridge so that it is ready to throw into your smoothies
• Keep your blender out on a counter (if you have the space) so that it is ready to use first thing in the morning
• Give yourself five extra minutes of time in the morning so that you can quickly blend up a smoothie to take with you on the way to work
• Buy some fun popsicle molds so that you can freeze the extra smoothie.  If you have kids, these will be a fun, healthy treat.  They can even eat them for breakfast in the car on the way to school or daycare if you are rushed in the morning.  If you don't have kids...enjoy them yourself

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe or any tips to share?

If You Can't Stand the Heat...

Go Swimming!

Eat Popsicles!

Go Blueberry Picking!

                                         (Yes, she has her own Camelbak and, yes, she brought it blueberry picking)

We are finally emerging from the depths of the heat wave that struck most parts of the country.  Living in one of the northernmost parts of the Northeast (we're only an hour away from being Canadian, after all), we just aren't used to extreme heat.  Sure, we get warm summers.  We have beautiful, sunny days at the beach.  We swim in pools and enjoy summer BBQ's and trips to the ice cream stand and all the other parts of summer.  However, we typically do this in 80 degree weather.  Over the past few days, the temperature has hit 100, and the heat index has climbed well above that.  For us northerners, this is not a regular occurrence.  Sure, each summer, we get a week or two of high heat and humidity, and, each summer we act as if we have never felt such extreme temperatures.  But, this heat wave felt different.  Maybe it's because most of the country was complaining about it too.  We finally felt like part of the "in group."  Regardless, we are all breathing a little easier and sleeping a little better now that the temperatures have returned to the 80's and there is actually a cool breeze floating through our windows.  I'm excited to be able to bake again.  I have so many baking and snack making plans for this week, and I can't wait to get going.  Tonight, I'm making a fresh batch of homemade granola, and it doesn't feel oppressive to have my oven on.  So, I hope you're ready for a lot of cooking/baking posts this week, because that's what I'm going to be doing each night after work and on my days off...

I did manage to get some exercise in during the heat wave.  In fact, I actually ran six miles yesterday, and I'm happy to report that my ankle seems to be on the mend.  I'm feeling a slight amount of discomfort today, but nothing too severe.  Today, I actually did something that I haven't done in years.  I went swimming.  I don't mean that I went to the beach with my kids.  I mean that I actually went to the YMCA and swam laps in the pool.  All I can say is WOW!  I can run for miles, but swimming really kicked my butt!  I was only able to do a half a mile, and I actually had to rest between some of the laps.  I alternated between the front crawl and the breaststroke.  I have to admit that I always thought swimming would be too easy, and I didn't want to give up some of my exercise time on something that I thought would provide minimal benefits.  But, after today, I can say with complete confidence that swimming is incredibly intense...in a good way.  I'm hooked!  I'm definitely going to start adding swimming to my regular routine.  I would love to do a triathlon next year, so I better build up my swimming endurance now.  Quite honestly, I'm already getting excited about the next time I can get in the pool.

So, the weekend is over, but the week ahead looks great.  I hope you have some wonderful plans in your future, even if that means just sitting on your deck and enjoying the cooler temperatures.

It's Just Too Hot!

I know I shouldn't be complaining.  I live in an area that sees temperatures as low as 5 below zero in the winter.  But, the heat wave we're experiencing right now is just too much for me.  It was 100 degrees (fahrenheit) today, with a heat index of about 105.  As much as I don't like the extreme low temperatures of the winter, I also don't enjoy the extreme high temperatures of the summer.  Maybe it's partly because we don't have air conditioning at our house, and our upstairs bedrooms are almost unbearable. 

I planned to spend the weekend making snacks for the kids, but I'm going to wait until it cools down a little.  Instead, I'll spend the days at the beach, eating popsicles and trying to stay cool.  It looks like next week will be a little cooler.  I have a lot of fun cooking and baking projects planned, which I will write about later in the week.  I'm going to attempt a run tomorrow morning, before it heats up too much.  I'm hoping my ankle stays pain-free.  So, that's all I have right now.  I think the heat might be turning my brain to mush.  For those of you who are also in the midst of a heat wave, try to stay cool.  It's hot out there!

It's All Fun and Games until Someone Gets Hurt

Well, it looks like I finally have my first real running injury.  I'm not particularly excited about this "milestone," but I guess I knew it would happen eventually.  I did something to my ankle.  It hurts on the inside part of my ankle, and the pain sometimes travels up to my calf.  If I stop running for a few days, it stops hurting.  But, as soon as I run again, the pain comes back.  So, I'm going to take the entire week off from running and focus on other types of exercise.  I'll try running on Sunday.  If my ankle starts to hurt again, I'm going to go see someone.  I'm in the middle of preparing for my next half marathon, and I don't want to lose weeks of training because of this. 

I'm starting to think it might be a result of my running gait.  I think I may be an overpronator.  I need new running shoes anyway, so maybe I'll go to  Fleet Feet  and have them assess my running style and fit me for shoes.  After all, I'm in this for the long haul.  I want to make sure I don't cause any permanent injuries.

Girlfriends

In the chaos of life, I feel the need to center myself through my engagement with others.  Like many other mothers and partners, I love my daily interactions with my children and my husband.  However, I also need more.  For me, that comes from my time with my two girlfriends.  I have other close friends in my life, but there are two specific friends that I am talking about here.  These women have been my friends since second grade, and we have been through everything together.  The trials of elementary school, the horrible awkwardness and embarrassment of middle school, and the drama of high school.  We have evolved from knobby-kneed seven year olds to mothers and wives, and through it all we have remained intertwined in each other's lives.  We have spent countless nights laughing and crying together over many random issues.  We stood together at each of our weddings.  We were there as each of us brought our beautiful babies into this world (strangely enough, we each have two children:  daughters within ten months of each other and sons within ten months of each other - totally unplanned).  We watched as life circumstances changed and held each other up as we struggled to navigate through life as working mothers and wives.  Through it all, we have been each other's greatest supporters and also our best critics.  We are there for each other through thick and thin.  Just as I get nourishment and balance through food and exercise, I also get it from these women.  They nourish me in a way that nothing else does.  We have always talked about how lucky we are to have each other and a friendship that has spanned 28 years, and I can only hope that you have something as wonderful in your life.

Each year, regardless of where we are physically, we come together to celebrate our birthdays.  Some years, we plan an overnight trip, other years we just spend the day together.  Regardless of the actual plans, the one constant is that we get together each year.  We are lucky, at this point in our lives, to all live within 30 minutes of each other, so we are able to get together frequently throughout the year.  However, this birthday celebration is the event we look forward to the most each year.  Our birthdays don't fall on the same day, so we just choose a random date in the summer to celebrate.  Instead of spending money on gifts for each other throughout the year, we save our money to splurge on the day.  This year, we chose to spend the day in Burlington, VT, which is across the lake from where I live.  We took the walking ferry to VT and enjoyed a fabulous lunch at American Flatbread, which I have decided is my new favorite restaurant. 

If you are ever in Burlington, VT, make sure you eat at American Flatbread.  I promise you won't regret it. 

After lunch, we walked around Church Street, which it the artsy shopping area of town and had a fabulous time laughing and enjoying each other's company without the interruptions of small children.  The day passed too quickly, and before we knew it, we were on the ferry on our way back to NY.  But, I returned home at the end of the day recharged and rejuvenated.  It's amazing what a day spent with girlfriends will do for you. 

Lead Feet

Sometimes, it takes so much for me to get going on a run.  After a streak of really fabulous runs, yesterday's run was less than stellar.  My legs felt like they were a thousand pounds and my feet felt like they were made of lead.  I was only running 4 miles, and I struggled the entire time.  I think part of the problem is that it typically takes me 2.5 miles or so to really get into a run, so the shorter runs don't allow me enough time to find my mojo.  Although, sometimes, the entire run just feels like a flop regardless of distance.  I think that is what yesterday's run would have been like, whether it was 4 miles or 14 miles.  I just wasn't feeling it.  That's the amazing and frustrating aspect of running.  No matter how long you have been running for or how far you have run, there is always the chance that a run will be less than stellar.  I'm just hoping that yesterday was a one time thing and not the beginning of a running rut.  I have been in those before, and they are no fun.

But, even on my worst running days, I can't help but smile when I run by this spot.  This is around the block from my house, and it is a beautiful view of the lake.  Each morning, it is an incredible feeling to run past this spot and see the sun over the water, the green mountains of Vermont in the distance and the boats gliding quietly in the early morning.  I always know that life is good when I see this on my short morning run.  Quite honestly, this picture doesn't do the location justice.  I tried to capture the magic of the water, but sometimes you just have to experience it firsthand.